Russian Federation still not in clear on doping, could miss winter games

"WADA Foundation Board approves the recommendation by the Independent Compliance Review Committee that RUSADA remain non-compliant", WADA wrote on Twitter.

At the meetings held in Seoul, WADA also approved an International Standard for Code Compliance by Signatories (ISCCS), which specifies a range of sanctions and procedures when sports organisations or countries are not compliant with the international anti-doping regulations they have signed.

The IOC banned six cross-country skiers this month as part of an investigation into allegations of widespread doping and sample-tampering by laboratory and security officials at the 2014 Sochi Games.

Following WADA's ruling, the new head of Russia's anti- doping agency RUSADA said today his organisation would continue "the huge amount" of work it has done in recent months.

"We denied and categorically deny any accusations that any instances of doping were sponsored by the state".

WADA says Russia still non-compliant

Earlier, Russian Deputy Prime Minister Vitaly Mutko stated that no matter what WADA decided on RUSADA's status, it will not affect Russia's participation in the Olympics, as the latter is "a prerogative of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), not WADA".

The country was excluded from participating under their own flag at last year's Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro. A 2016 report by Canadian lawyer Richard McLaren found that more than 1,000 Russian competitors in more than 30 sports were involved in a conspiracy to hide positive drug tests over a five-year period.

Yuri Ganus, director general of RUSADA, said the agency had done everything ii could to be reinstated apart from two criteria that had not been met and were out of its control.

According to the review committee, Russian Federation still does not fulfil the criteria demanded by WADA in the Roadmap to Compliance, before the country can be declared compliant with the World Anti-Doping Code again.

"We were not surprised by WADA's decision".

Kuwait, Equatorial Guinea and Mauritius were also declared non-compliant at the WADA meeting.